The 20-year-old looked back on the day he became the youngest French rider since Jacques Anquetil to take a pro victory.

“Looking back on my first day of racing in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey, I knew I had the full confidence of the team, but to win was completely unexpected. At the morning team meeting they said they would work for me, and that was an incredible honor, to have such a squad pull the entire day and put their belief in me.

My teammates did a fantastic job that day. On those long straight roads in the last 20 kilometers of the race we stayed together and made sure we were in a good position the whole time. Then, Gianni and Yves took over and pulled hard to stretch the peloton, before Luke – who is a very fast rider himself – guided me in that hectic finale, doing a superb job. We had a plan at the start of the day, we followed it, and in the end, we pulled it off.

It was amazing to win on my debut with this fantastic team, which had and continues to have so many great riders, and where I felt at home since day one. It’s been ten months since that moment, but I still remember the emotions I felt when I crossed the finish line. It was incredible, the staff and my teammates all came to congratulate me, while I couldn’t believe what was happening.

I was just 19 at that time, I had no idea what type of rider I am – and this is something that I still need to discover in the next season – and there I was, enjoying a perfect debut in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey. The fact that I was joined on the podium by Luke, who provided an excellent lead-out, made that day truly perfect, because when all was said and done, that was a victory that wouldn’t have been possible without the Wolfpack spirit.”

 

Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images

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